Name as many items for a category (Use the categories listed above with the I spy/I’m thinking games. Such as animals that live in the ocean, shapes, etc.)

Older kids:

Think of or find around you an example of: homophones, antonyms, synonyms, alliteration, etc.

Have a classic spelling bee

Name three nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, etc. that begin with the letter…

Name as many items for a category (things you pack for vacation, book titles, MLB baseball teams, sports you play with …, etc.)

Storytelling (This is my favorite. Our family will often do this at tuck-in time)

Younger kids:

Begin telling a well-known story, then the next person has to change the next part but continue using the same characters

Make up a story. Each person takes a turn adding a sentence. (Some examples of story starters: Once upon a time in a world in space; Joey was on his way to…when all of a sudden a …. appeared out of nowhere; When Sarah woke up, she wasn’t in her bed anymore she was… You get the idea)

Older kids:

Each person picks one of the elements of a story (ie, setting, characters, conflict, etc.) Then each person takes turns adding a sentence.

Make up a story together where each person only says one word on his/her turn.

MadLibs **This is the one time I take liberty with the screen/electronic thing. As a parent, I hold the device downloaded with the MadLib App.** Or you can still buy the books on Amazon, the Scholastic website, school book fair (awesome way to support education, too), or the next time your kiddo brings home a Scholastic order form and keep them in your purse or diaper bag.

Younger kids: For the younger kids, when they don’t know the meaning of noun, adjective, etc. I just tell them a person, place or thing and may need to provide an example.

Older kids: It’s great practice to work on remembering what nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc. are. We also make it more challenging by saying every word we fill in for the story must begin or end with a certain letter (the only place this doesn’t work is when it asks for a verb ending in -ing).

The other important caveats of these waiting games are how to win and the prize. Kids love competition, so being the person who answers more correctly may be enough incentive. In our family, we also may put a cap on how many answers to win (first person to find 5 or answer 5 correctly). What does the winner receive besides bragging rights? Sometimes it’s a mint from mom’s purse or a sticker from the sheet of stickers in my wallet. Younger children may also like earning a penny or nickel. For older kids it could determine who gets to sit in the front on the way home, pick the music on the radio, or what you’re having for dinner/dessert. If you’re still waiting when the game ends, the winner can determine the next game to be played.

Do you have other ways you’ve entertained your kids in public and/or while waiting? I’d love for you to share them in the comments.